I'm calling this an appropriate time for the untucking of shirts.

Brewers 5, Pirates 1
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BR Box Score

Mets 7, Micah Hoffpauir 6
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BR Box Score

It appears Ryan Braun still has a little power left. After the game, he talked to Tom H. about his intercostal strain and the difficulties it's created as he tries to hit down the stretch. I'm sure it hurts less after an extra-inning grand slam.

Of course, even if you weren't watching it, you had to know last night's game was close because a certain someone complained relentlessly about umpiring.

My faith in humanity was both restored and destroyed at the same time yesterday. Eric Gagne, who I'll wholly admit I've said some nasty things about this season, stepped up to the plate and gave away 5000 free tickets last night. Combine that with his $200,000 donation to Brewer charities and now he's only making about $9 million more than he's worth this season. At any rate, that's the good part, and kudos to him for doing it.

Of course, there will always be those among us who will take advantage of someone else's generosity. There's only 4 comments on this post at Chuckie Hacks, but one of them is someone who sold their original tickets so they could get free ones, and another is someone who took 4 seats even though they only needed 2. Way to abuse a nice gesture, douchebags.

As noted in the Fanshots, ESPN the Magazine has created a jukebox with every major leaguer's walkup music. This might be the last chance you get in 2008 to hear Mike Rivera's walk-up music: Daddy Yankee's "Bring It On," even though Rivera is hitting .306/.377/.435.

The Brewers are ranked 9th in this weeks Bugs and Cranks Power Rankings.

Only two injuries today:

John Maine has been medically cleared to pitch, and supposedly couldn't do any more damage to his injured elbow, but Mets manager Jerry Manuel says he's done for the year.
Astros RP Chris Sampson has been pitching much of the season with a torn tendon in his elbow, and will undergo surgery once the Astros' postseason hopes are finished.

So the Mets close their season with a 3 game series with the Marlins, but when it will be played is anyone's guess. The weather forecast has rain more or less non-stop for the next several days. But at least they talked Mr. Met off the ledge.

Ichiro is pretty much the last guy I'd expect to write a paragraph like this about: Apparently there are some in the Mariners clubhouse who see Ichiro as selfish and a bad teammate, to the point where there have been concerns about his safety. Reports like this won't exactly make Mariner fans feel better about being the first team ever with a $100 million payroll and 100 losses.

If this picture didn't have a caption, you'd think some teammates had a problem with Ryan Braun, as well.

Diamondbacks 3B Mark Reynolds is hitting .240/.320/.463 (OPS+ of 98) as a corner infielder, which makes it all the more impressive that he got enough plate appearances to set a new major league record with 200 strikeouts. He also struck out for the 201st time. Before this season, no player had ever struck out 200 times, but this year two players might do it, as Ryan Howard has 196 with 3 games to play. A's DH/OF Jack Cust also has 192, meaning 3 of the top 6 strikeout seasons of all time will happen in 2008. All of the top six and eight of the top ten seasons have occured since 2000.

Oh, and Paul DePodesta used the flex offense to explain why Wally Joyner resigned as hitting coach of the Padres.

Drink up.

So yesterday was a first. For the first time in 2008, I actually had to get up and leave my computer during a Brewer game due to fear I might vomit.

Win Probability Graph
BR Box Score

Tom H. is calling it the worst defeat of the season. I'm not ready to say it's head-and-shoulders above the Arizona debacle, but it certainly wasn't fun.

So, did the Brewers' playoff hopes end yesterday? Chuckie Hacks, The Brew Town Beat and Two-Fisted Slopper all seem to think so.

This got somewhat lost in everything else, but it's worth noting: The baserunning was awful yesterday. As an example, here are two pictures of J.J. Hardy getting thrown out at bases. But, Sveum blamed the wind.

So what now? Jeff Suppan will start tonight, since McClung was forced into duty in yesterday's game. There are some more hints for the future in this JS roundup, which I'll summarize for you:

• No one knows when/if Sheets can pitch again.
• Yovani Gallardo will throw one more time today, then rejoin the team.
• Gabe Kapler is back with the team but can't slide head first or throw.
• Mat Gamel's elbow pain has been diagnosed as tendinitis.
• Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall will only play against lefties the rest of the way.
• Mike Rivera isn't going to play at all. No reason. Just sitting a guy who's hitting .311/.382/.443 as a catcher but will finish the season with less than 70 plate appearances on a team that's "going for it." Did Mike Rivera kill somebody's pets? I'm honestly flabbergasted by this one.

Baseball Musings says Dave Bush's slugging percentage allowed is the one thing keeping him from becoming an elite pitcher. To me, he seems a little farther away than that, but he certainly gives up the long ball.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, CC Sabathia made Baseball Analysts "Getting it Done" pitching staff.

Even after losing two of three in Chicago, the Brewers only need 6 wins in their last 9 games to finish with 90 wins. If they do that, the Astros and Marlins win out and the Phillies and Mets falter a bit, we could still have a five-way tie for the NL wild Card.

On injuries:

A's SP Justin Duchsherer will miss his scheduled start Saturday as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired hip.
Michael Young reinjured his fractured finger last night and could be done for 2008.

Symmetry in action: John Fay notes that the Reds have 4 starting pitchers that have made 25 starts with an ERA below 5.00 for the first time since 1992. That struck me as a really long time, so I looked up the last time the Brewers did it. Also 1992. With luck, they'll break that streak in 2008. Sheets, Parra, Suppan and Bush all have 25 starts, and Suppan is the only one at immediate risk of having his ERA sneak over 5.

Maybe this guy can still pitch? Eduardo Rodriguez was the only Brewer to take advantage of a save rule that allowed a pitcher to get a save without finishing a game, in 1974.

Ned Yost won't be on the Braves staff next year after all. The Braves announced yesterday that their entire coaching staff will return for 2009.

This Mug is already getting kind of long, so I won't reveal any of them here, but there's some good stuff I didn't know in this 25 Fact Baseball Roster.

Oh, and Ryan Howard isn't leading the NL in strikeouts. Who knew?

Drink up.